Nosepoke!
by kay-becks
Summary: "Mother, I'm not poking through her underwear drawer, I'm investigating her mother's case." Oh dear, Castle just CAN'T keep his nose out of Kate's business, can he?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Just a little plot-bunny that wouldn't leave me alone. This is set in Season 5, and Castle and Beckett are dating! **

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own Castle. *sigh***

**CHAPTER 1: Through The Underwear Drawer**

_**Ref. Castle Season 1 Episode 10: "A Death In The Family"**_

"_**Mother, I'm not poking through her underwear drawer, I'm investigating her mother's case."**_

Richard Castle woke up to the aroma of coffee surrounding him like a warm blanket. Blinking sleepily, he tried to rub the remnants of haze out of his eyes. Jeez, he felt so damn tired. What time was it? He glanced at the clock.

6:14 AM.

Someone needed to explain to Katherine Beckett the meaning of 'sleeping in'.

True, years of police training had influenced her body clock. Still, how could someone leave the comfort of their warm bed at such an obscene hour? In November, no less! **And** then made coffee to ensure that every other sensible person in the house who was **sleeping**, would be jolted awake!

_**Really**_, Castle said to himself, shaking his head.

The smell of coffee was irresistible. He should know. It was one of his ridiculously overpriced imported coffee packets, which he had given her. He was surprised when she took it without protest. But then, Kate Beckett loved her coffee. She would savor the scent, closing her eyes and letting it assault her senses. Then delicately pucker her lips around the rim of the cup, take a sip, let out a barely audible moan as it went down her throat.

Great, now **he** was awake too, and unable to go back to sleep. He sat up, grudgingly letting the covers fall away from him as he picked up his clothes and searched for his socks. His eyes roamed the room lazily, taking in the details of Kate's simple but tastefully furnished room, till they suddenly settled on a half open drawer.

Never one to resist poking his nose in somebody else's business, especially when that someone was Kate, Castle walked over to the chest of drawers. Kneeling down for balance, he reached out to pull the drawer out a little and gave it a tug.

And almost got a heart attack.

This was Kate's **underwear drawer**.

Jesus, was she trying to kill him?

He was _**so**_ dead if she caught him. Castle tried to ignore the gruesome images of torture that his overactive imagination came up with.

Discreet. He was going to have to be discreet.

Which meant he couldn't just dump the contents of the drawer onto the floor and rifle through them to his heart's content. Plus, being the control freak that she was, she probably had them arranged in meticulous piles and would notice at once if he messed them up.

Cautiously peeking out of the bedroom, he tried to see whether the coast was clear or not. He couldn't see her in his direct field of vision, but he could hear water running in the bathroom just off the hall. Good, a shower should keep her occupied for a while. Although it wouldn't be a bad idea to enjoy Round 3 in there with her, all steamy and wet—

_Focus, Rick. Underwear. Right_.

Castle tiptoed back to the bedroom, surveying the open drawer. Dropping to his knees again, he peeked in.

As he had presumed, her stuff was in neat little piles, arranged according to occasion and colour coded too.

The first pile was for everyday wear, mostly practical cotton, with some silk, in blacks and whites, with an occasional splash of red. Nothing he hadn't already seen.

The next pile was more flirty and feminine, for days she felt extra girly, he supposed. There were a lot of bows and frills, and the colour palette was limited to baby pinks, blues and mauves.

The last pile nearly made him choke on his own saliva. Really, Kate Beckett was going to kill him. He stared at the things, trying to get his mind out of the gutter. God, he never would have guessed that she could be so… **Wild**. Sexy as hell, but wild. Because this last pile oozed sex appeal. The craziest colors of the rainbow, with patterns in neon hues and every animal print possible, the itsy-bitsy little pieces of fabric that couldn't possibly leave anything to the imagination…..

He needed to have a talk with his cardiologist.

Castle thought back to the numerous times they'd gone undercover. Was _**this**_ what she'd been wearing underneath those soft satin dresses that made her mile-long legs seem never-ending? God, he'd come so close during those operations, especially the one during the lottery-ticket-winning millionaire case, to just pushing her up against some wall and having his wicked way with her—

"Castle?"

Castle almost broke his neck, whirling around to face Kate.

Kate, in a bathrobe. With still-damp hair cascading down her shoulders.

Kate, who looked ready to skewer him to death, all sparks and fire smoldering in her eyes darkened with anger.

Kate, with cheeks flushed a delicate shade of rose pink.

Kate, sexy as ever, but willing to put a bullet through his brain right now.

Castle could only stare at her, eyes almost popping out of his head.

"What are you doing?" She's _so_ going to kill him.

"I – uh – I was, uh, -" Richard Castle, Master of the Macabre, author of 26 bestsellers, struggling to form basic words and gaping like a fish.. Oh my God, she couldn't _wait_ to tell Lanie about this!

"It was open!" Castle finally managed to splutter out a complete sentence.

"So?" She loved watching him squirm under her gaze.

"I wanted to see what was in it," Castle's tone was petulant, like a little schoolboy's. "I didn't realize you had me set up for a heart attack!" he finished, indignantly.

"Great, next time I'm over at your place, I'll just barge into your room and start looking through random drawers."

"Hey, I didn't **barge** in here! I was – sleeping! YOU woke me up at 6 o'clock! On a Saturdayyy!" he whined.

"Want coffee?"

"Huh?" Castle was stumped at her sudden change of topic.

"Coffee? Really good coffee…" said Kate, waving the cup she'd been holding, under his nose, lips curling into a smirk.

"Uh, yeah. Sure. Coffee sounds good." Castle stood up and started following her to the kitchen.

"Castle?"

"Hmmm?"

"Shut the drawer."

"Oh, right. You know, I'd never have pegged you as a bow-and-frills-on-zebra-prints kind of girl."

"Says the man who sleeps in hot pink Spongebob and Patrick boxers."

**So, it felt REALLY good to get that out of my system, it wouldn't stop bugging me! I plan to update every week about Castle poking his nose into other aspects of Kate's life! But only if you guys like this one! So please do R&R! Cheers!**

**Luna **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: This one just got completely out of control! Phew! A little heavier than the previous chapter, but I hope you like it. Oh, and I'm terribly sorry about the LONG delay, I was extremely busy with college admissions. **

**Disclaimer: Yeah, I wish.**

**CHAPTER 2: Skating Over The Rough Times**

_**Ref. Castle Season 1 Episode 9: "Little Girl Lost"**_

"_**Didn't stop me from missing you. Missing us. Sundays in the park. Those ridiculous neon ice skates at Rockefeller Centre."**_

"Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate….." whined Castle impatiently. "Come _on_!"

"Jeez, Castle, just gimme a sec to put on some socks, it's freezing outside!"

"You said that ten minutes ago!"

"Fine, then get in here and give me a hand," huffed Beckett.

A few moments later, Castle bounded into her bedroom, wearing a shit-eating grin on his face.

"Katherine Beckett, did I hear you right? You wanted a _hand_? Does that mean –"

Kate raised a well-defined eyebrow.

"Mind out of the gutter, _kitten_. I need you to find my white snow boots, while I do my hair."

Castle pouted like a four-year old being refused ice cream.

"You're no fun."

"And yet you love me," smirked Kate.

Castle placed a smacking kiss on her cheek in reply. "I do."

"Then shut up and get my shoes."

"Yes ma'am."

Beckett allowed herself a small dreamy smile as Castle obediently made his way to her coat closet. The guy was so utterly sweet. And lovable. Annoying, though. But so damn cute! _Enough, Kate. Stop acting like a giddy schoolgirl!_

Kate plugged in her straightener and concentrated on not burning herself.

Meanwhile, Castle was trying not to tear his hair out of frustration. Because Kate's cavernous closet seemed to house every shoe on the planet. How the hell did she fit all of them in there? They seemed almost ready to explode out into the room soon. And how was he supposed to search for a specific pair in this veritable _jungle _of shoes? For such a control freak, Beckett sure made an exception when it came to shoes. They were stuffed together unceremoniously and it was difficult to make out separate pairs. Castle sighed. He was simply going to have to drag all of them out and put them back once he'd found the white boots. Maybe he'd arrange them properly, just to make a point.

Castle reached out a hand and tugged on the pile of shoes, making them tumble out onto the floor. _Oh God_, thought Castle, _she could open a shoe museum_. But then, he really shouldn't be surprised. Meredith and Gina had both had a lot of shoes. Like, a LOT of shoes. So Kate was definitely entitled to her own huge collection.

Now to find the pairs. Castle began to match each left shoe with the right one, or vice versa, depending on which he got his hands on first. Pretty soon, he had organized them into proper pairs. And he also found the boots that Kate wanted, so he put those aside and prepared to put the numerous other pairs neatly back into her closet.

In went a pair of steel-tipped black work boots.

Then a pair of beautiful coral ballerinas she'd worn a few days back, when he'd taken her out to dinner.

Then a pair of sexy as hell, four-inch high heeled, wine red pumps.

Then a variety of peep-toes in black, nude and grey.

Castle was just putting in her gym shoes when he noticed that only one of them would fit in the place left by the shoes he had just put in. He jostled them around, trying to make some more space, and suddenly hit something at the very back of her closet. Pulling out a few shoes, he realized that what he'd thought was the back of her closet, was actually a false back, created by some show boxes.

Feeling curious (DUH), he extracted the boxes and opened one.

It contained a pair of her work boots, with one of the buckles broken. Presumably, she hadn't had time to go and get it fixed. Well, he'd be only too happy to do that for her. But moving on….

The next two boxes also contained shoes which needed some kind of repair work. Castle stacked the three boxes one on top of the other, intending to get them fixed at the firs opportunity.

The last two boxes were plain, made of cardboard. Castle opened the smaller, more oblong one.

The tissue crinkled under his fingers. It was quite old, he could tell, atleast ten years. He gently slid some of the tissue off and saw… A pair of ballet shoes. Pale peach in colour, with matching ribbons. He picked them up and observed them carefully. Kate had never told him she'd been a serious ballerina. The shoes were scratched roughly on the soles. He knew professional dancers did that to prevent slipping on the varnished hardwood stage. There was also a thin lining of cotton padding, hand-sewn just along the inner edge. To stop the stiff cloth from cutting into the feet, he supposed, especially near the heels and ankles. He pictured a younger Kate, teenage, all long limbs, perfect posture, twirling freely to music. He smiled gently, putting the shoes back after re-wrapping them carefully. His hand brushed against something tucked into the side of the box. It was a piece of thick paper, yellowed and curling at the corners. The neat, precise writing on it said: "My darling Katie-bug,

It doesn't matter whether you get the part of Anastasia,

Cinderella, or Prince Charming; Mommy loves you

Just the same, okay? You'll always be my princess."

Castle felt warmth spreading through his body. He imagined Kate hugging Johanna, in their perfect little world, as Jim looked on, eyes suspiciously bright; Kate and Johanna on a Sunday, customizing the shoes so that Kate could practice for whichever part she'd got.

Snapping back to the present, Castle suddenly felt guilty, snooping through such a private aspect of Kate's life. Quickly closing the box, he turned his attention to the last one, which was a lot bigger then the others. Pulling it towards himself, he noticed that it was pretty heavy. _Just one peek_, he told himself, _and I'll put those back_.

But when he opened the box, he was SO not prepared for what he saw.

Skates. Ice skates.

In an eye-blistering shade of neon green. With glitter detailing on the sides.

And obnoxiously bright yellow laces.

Castle was so gobsmacked that he blinked a few times, trying to clear his head. He picked up one of the skates, turning it around in his hand. _I bet people literally froze when she went skating in those_, he thought. He blinked furiously and shook his head, still not having got rid of the hideous riot of neon shades. And then –

"Castle, what the hell are you doing? I thought we were going to get lunch and meet Alexis. I doubt she'd like to be kept waiting – OH MY GOD, CASTLE!"

When Kate sent her boyfriend to look for shoes, she was fully focused on straightening her hair and styling it into a side-braid. That in itself didn't take very long. After that, she sat on her bed, twirling the ends of her braid between her fingers, dreaming about the previous night. The memories made an unconscious blush redden her cheeks and her eyes sparkled. Castle had given her a necklace for their anniversary yesterday. Just because, he'd said. It was simple, a gold chain with a "C" dangling from it. She'd been unable to stop the tears when she saw it, and he'd hugged her and let her have a little 'feminine time'. That man. That adorable, sappy, caring, honest, sweet, loving man.

Speaking of, where _was_ her man? Surely it didn't take such a lot of time to find a pair of shoes in a closet. What was he up to now? Snooping in some other unholy drawer? She hoped not. She'd hardly been able to contain her laughter that last time.

"Castle, did you find the shoes yet?" Kate called.

No answer.

"Rick! Did you walk into my closet and find Narnia?"

Silence.

"Rick, sweetheart, are you okay?" The endearment slipped unconsciously from her lips as concern laced her voice. Kate got off the bed and made her way to the hall. Had he fallen asleep on the sofa? She sighed in relief and annoyance when she spotted him sitting on the floor in front of her coat closet. That man! Wide awake and pretending not to hear her!

"Castle, what the hell are you doing? I thought we were going to get lunch and meet Alexis," said Kate, walking towards him. She saw her shoes, arranged neatly in pairs, and thoughts of "sweet man" crossed her mind. "I doubt she'd like to be kept waiting –"

And then she saw what Castle was holding in his hand.

"OH MY GOD, CASTLE!"

Cheeks flaming red, Kate glared at Castle, who was looking as embarrassed as she felt, dropping the offending shoe on the floor with a loud **thunk**.

"Explain yourself right now!"

Castle was tongue-tied. _Think! Form a word, an easy-peasy word, you got a voice box!_

"Shoes!" he managed to get out. "I was looking – for shoes – um, for the shoes you wanted." He indicated the white snow boots, sitting innocently by the closet door.

Kate slid her feet into the boots, glaring at Castle the whole time.

"I can see that!" she snapped. "But what's all this?" She made a sweeping motion over the shoeboxes.

Castle jumped at the chance to explain.

"Well, I couldn't find anything in the holy mess you had here before," he began, gulping as she raised as eyebrow. "But," he pressed on valiantly, "I organized all your shoes into pairs – look!" Waving his arms exaggeratedly over them, he continued, "Then when I was putting them back, I accidentally hit something at the back, and I found….the boxes," he concluded lamely.

She waited, obviously not satisfied with the information she'd got.

Castle took a deep breath.

"The shoes which want repairing, I put them aside to – to get them done for you," he said, looking at her hesitantly. "And the others… Well, I didn't know what was in them, so I…"

Kate sighed. "You opened them." It wasn't a question.

They stared at each other for a few seconds. Then Kate blushed and looked away.

"You probably think it's stupid of me, to keep those, even though I've grown out of them…"

"Oh, Kate." Castle was dismayed to see her eyes well up, tears threatening to escape at any moment. He got up, ignoring the pins and needles in his legs, and engulfed her in a hug.

"It's not stupid, Kate," he said, rubbing soothing circles into her back.

She pulled herself together and kissed him long and slow.

"Oh Castle, why is it that every time you go prowling around my house, you find something you're not supposed to?" She smirked, consciously stopping herself from giggling at his indignant expression.

"I wasn't _prowling_. _You_ sent me here. Besides, I arranged your million pairs of shoes."

"Let them be. We'll put them back later," she said, looking at them fondly. "We should really go."

"Yeah, or Alexis will kill me."

"Which was exactly what I'd been trying to tell you, but you were lost in your own world."

He helped her into her coat and they left, bickering over random stuff on their way to the elevator.

"So whose part did you get, Kate?" he asked suddenly.

Kate smiled to herself and replied, "Prince Charming."

"Aw. I would've thought you got Cinderella."

"They wanted someone with blonde hair, and I was too tall, anyway."

"I'm sure you made a very handsome Prince."

"Shut up Castle."

"Okay."

A few moments later…

"By the way, lovely skates, Beckett." *Smirk* "I'm sure _nobody could take their eyes off them_ when you went skating."

"Fourteen, Castle. I was _fourteen_. And I was determined to be unique and not buy the sequined pink horrors that every other girl my age seemed to own. So wipe that smirk off your pretty face, right now."

"Alright, fine. You've really got nothing to complain about, you know. I once got the part of an annoying monkey in a school play. And I can't skate."

"Why does that bother you? They picked a character perfectly suited for you!"

A pause. Then…

"I walked right into that one, didn't I?"

"Sure did, Writer Monkey."

**HA! Okay, I know it was REALLY long, but I hope you liked it. Please R&R. I hope to not get held up in posting further chapters again! The stories crawl around inside me… *shudders* Anyway, cheers!**

**Luna **


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